So tonight your W&H reviewer finds himself at something of an exclusive: a secret warm up gig for Moby's forthcoming "Hotel" album tour, played to 250 lucky souls (mostly radio competition winners) at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.
Moby's opening one-two of "Extreme Ways" and "Raining Again" suggests he knows exactly how to tailor his set to probably the most intimate venue he has played in a very long time. Both tracks, quite simply, rock, with the full force of a twin-guitar attack & pounding live drums from Scott Frasetto. "Raining Again" breaks things down for a Talking Heads "Road to Nowhere" style snare-tattoo led passage half way through, but cranks back up for a crashing finale, allowing second vocalist Laura Dawn to let loose for the first of many occasions, trading call & response style with the man himself.
However the early part of the set does suffer from problems with the sound mix. Ms. Dawn's vocal is almost inaudible at times, as is the sample on "Find My Baby". Mind you this does not prevent the first of tonight's selections from the "Play" album going down a storm with the assembled fanbase.
"Spiders" follows, another cut from the new album, & one that wears Moby's fan worship of David Bowie quite openly on its Ziggy-referencing sleeve. Musically its more reminiscent of recent Bowie albums, such as "Heathen" and "Reality".
Then its back to the hits, Dawn summoning up the spirit of a Mississippi Delta torch singer for a creditable rendition of "Natural Blues". Moby subsequently urges us to follow him back in time to some field somewhere at seven in the morning in the early Nineties, for a suitably pumped "Go", complete with Twin Peaks synth chords. Admittedly I wasn't there first time around, but it is quite something to see the wee man giving it loads on the bongo drums almost within touching distance.
The first set concludes with a quartet of tracks from "Hotel". Moby himself starts playing the reference game by introducing "Where You End" as a tribute to New Order, which is exactly what it sounds like. Continuing this homage, Dawn takes lead vocal on a gorgeous slow burn cover of "Temptation". As the waves of distorted guitar accumulate, one could be forgiven for thing that The Jesus & Mary Chain have crashed the party.
"Beautiful" pales by comparison, opening with a guitar hook that sounds like a weedier version of "Whole Lotta Love", but it does have a radio-ready chorus. Set closer "Very" returns things firmly to Moby's dance roots. This time he introduces the track as his tribute to Giorgio Moroder & Donna Summer, & once again he's right on the money, due in large part to Laura Dawn's uncanny ability to vocally metamorphose into Ms. Summer for the 4 minutes in question.
This being a radio competition winners' gig, there is an interlude in proceedings during which 10 of the assembled winners get to pose some questions. It turns out that Richard Melville Hall's greatest adrenalin rush of his career so far came about when David Bowie popped round to his to his NYC flat to rehearse an acoustic version of "Heroes". Not bad.
The band return after the enjoyable Q&A session, and recommence with an "obscure tune" entitled "Porcelain", sending everyone into inevitable raptures. The chilled out vibe continues with another lead vocal by Laura Dawn on "Dream About Me". In such company "Southside" comes off as overlong and somewhat mechanical, but this only serves to set the scene for two of the show's most special moments.
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Long time fans can hardly believe their ears as Moby pulls off a gentle guitar & vocal sketch of "Everytime You Touch Me" from 1995's "Everything Is Wrong" album, and it seems that he can hardly believe his ears himself when about two thirds of the crowd join in on the chorus.
Obviously delighted at being able to play around in a way he could never get away with normally, he then treats us to an equally pared down cover of "Satellite of Love" he claims he worked out in his hotel room before the gig. Midway through he notices that the chords are the same as The Stones' "As Tears Go By", and breaks into a verse!
Normal transmission resumes for "Slipping Away", his favourite track from the new album he tells us, a mid-paced, meditative tune warning us to "Hold onto people they're slipping away". The introspective mood continues with "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?". The fact that it retains some its power despite over-familiarity is a tribute to the band's performance, & Laura Dawn's vocal once again. The second set is rounded off with a peerless "Bodyrock", perfected in larger arenas, which gains immeasurably from the immediacy of the Tut's.
Of course the buzzed up crowd are never likely to let Moby go easily, particularly not in the aftermath of that set closer. He brings everyone back onstage to play a tribute to his home city, in the shape of the night's second Lou Reed cover, "Walk On The Wild Side". The band are somewhat, eh, less than tight, but Moby's charm pulls them through, & everyone gets to rock out over the closing 'doo-de-doo-de-doos'.
The surprises don't stop there however. Potentially the greatest thing tonight is a breath-taking guitar and harmonies version of "The Great Escape" from "18", led once again by Laura Dawn, with back-up vocal from keyboardist Lucy (I'm afraid I didn't catch her last name).
There follows a brave attempt at "Honey", Dawn's live vocal just about getting away with it, and the band eventually call it a night after a high energy airing of latest single "Lift Me Up". An epic set all told, and a special night, which will stay on in this reviewer's mind because of those quieter moments, where Moby's way with a melody and genuine emotion shone through.
www.mobyhotel.com
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